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Post by laurasnowbird on May 27, 2004 19:04:58 GMT -5
OK Laurie, the puppy mill thing is a hot button with me too. There are sooo many beautiful animals in the shelters that would love a good home. We have a Keeshond that is a great dog. (Here's a link to see one, no one seems to have ever heard of them! www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/keeshon.cfmI'm also the neighborhood rescue queen for cats, I can't seem to turn one down. Our latest had kittens, and she's so little herself I didn't think she could possibly give birth! (No thanks to my vet who said she was too young to get pregnant, and too young to spay. Snarl!) Our dog Max is VERY tolerant, and the best watchdog I've ever seen. He is an extremely gentle dog, not a nervous bone in his body, and the kids love him. If you get a dog from a shelter though, I would get a puppy for sure. The only potential problem I see with an adult shelter dog is that you don't know what it's previous experiences have been. If it was mistreated in any way, it could be a problem, especially since children can be a little rough with dogs. Get a puppy, that way you know there's no hidden history.
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Post by Tammy on May 27, 2004 19:50:31 GMT -5
We just recently got a puppy for our kids, after losing our old dog of 14 yrs last June.
We went for a Blue heeler x Kelpie, the same mixed breed as our old dog. Someone earlier mentioned they also like the Heelers.. We have found they are basically "Bombproof" They are very hardy dogs, rarely get sick or injured, are extremely intelligent and learn quickly, so can be easily trained. Also they are very very protective of their owners, and have been known to do some incredible things with regard to saving owners etc. Over here there have been stories of kids being lost in the bush etc, and been found with the family dog, which usually always turns out to be a Heeler or Kelpie, other stories tell of dogs who have run home to alert families of a trapped or injured member etc... The downside to them would be that they are intended as a working dog (cattle or sheep), so they are very active and need exercise and a large space to run.
LOL... I say we recently got a puppy...we planned our puppy, and had toys, puppy food, and a kennel and bed all ready and waiting for when the right puppy showed up!!... we werent even this organised for our babies!! Really though the choice of dog is entirely individual, but mixed breeds can be as good as any pure breed.
Good Luck!! and Happy puppy hunting!!
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Post by MB on May 27, 2004 22:00:15 GMT -5
We walked the rows of dogs at our local shelter. There was a whole row of pointers. We took two different ones out to the family area and our son hid behind my husband both times. Then, we took this very timid, quiet pointer out to the area. She went to the bathroom three times in 5 minutes, did not rush any of us and finally jumped up on my husband in the most gentle way to be petted. Our son warmed up to her immediately. She was so terribly thin and sad.
We looked in her pen and noticed she had not soiled it. I went back the next morning (came up with an excuse) to check her pen and it was dry. It was feeding time and all the other dogs on her row were going nuts. She sat very quietly and watched me.
We adopted her. She was four years old at the time. She was completely housebroken and had impeccable manners. She sleeps in my son's room whenever he needs a companion. He sleeps with the light on and she has to bury her head to get away from the light, but is still willing to sleep with him.
She waits for the bus with him every morning. Once he came back inside for something and the bus came. She came racing into the house and started jumping on him and racing back outside. She will not leave the driveway until the bus is on its way.
When we go out of town, she sleeps in the hallway and keeps an eye on the front door. My daughter came home late one evening and she started a low menacing growl. She saw it was my daughter and went back to bed. She was waiting for her to come home.
The only drawback to her is that she is extremely protective of us when it comes to dogs. She loves people, but will be vicious to any dog that tries to get near any of us. We have been socializing her with the neighbors dogs and it seems to be working.
O.K. there's my story! Good luck!
MB
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Post by meghans_mom on May 28, 2004 7:09:01 GMT -5
Laura - cats...you too? We currently have 5. I think there is an invisible sign in my front yard that only cats can read that says "free room and board". Yikes!! All I can say is thank goodness for the good vets we have here that spay & neuter strays for a discount :-D
Angie - good luck and let us know what you decide! I can't imagine having a home without a dog...although I could do without all the cats, LOLOLOL! laurie
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Post by laurasnowbird on May 28, 2004 9:11:01 GMT -5
Laurie,
I love my dog, but I am a cat person through and through. I have literally never been without one. Even when I was in college, living in an apartment with rules against pets, I had a cat! I have a cute little hand painted hat box with cats and kittens on it that says "A house without a cat is like a hug without a kiss". Sums it up for me! LOL.
My vet gives me a multiple pet discount, and has offered to fix my latest "rescue" for free after she's through nursing the kittens. (I'm sure he feels a little responsible for telling me she wasn't old enough to reproduce, LOL!) There are four of them and they are ADORABLE. Of course we will be keeping one of them, how could I possibly give them all away? MY daughter would be heartbroken. Justify, Justify, Justify, ROTFL!
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Post by cindylou on May 28, 2004 11:17:00 GMT -5
We just got a puppy two weeks ago. My kids are in heaven--though they're getting a bit chewed on. Fortunatley the dogs not chewing on the furniture--and I just keep telling the girls to give her a dog toy to chew on. She is only 10 weeks old. She is a Sapsaree - you can look them up on www.sapsaree.org They come from Koren and the Korean chaplin at our local hospital is breeding them and adopting them out to families that want to be involved in pet assisted therapy. So that is what we plan to do. She is the cutest thing-and will turn into a medium sized dog that looks somewhat like a sheep dog. SHe has been VERY good with Sam-who is almost 1 and not yet walking. Lu Lu and Sam share all their toys--so now Sam place fetch with Lu Lus ball and they both go chase after it. Lu Lu will let Sam lay on her-will play tug of war with him and let Sam pull things out of her mouth. She doesn't bark or growl when Sam plays in her dog food dish WHILE she's eating (we're trying to get her used to all this...so far she's done great) Our only issue is the cat--Pouncer can't stand the dog and Lu Lu wants to chase him all the time. So, I'm trying to keep them seperate. Pouncer is an inside cat- 2 years old- and I've never been fond of him. He's not that friendly--bites my kids and scratches sometimes (even though his front paws are declawed) I told the kids we might have to get rid of pouncer..they really want both a cat and dog together but I just don't know if it's going to work... I will post a pic of Lu Lu on the photo page--go check her out... cindy
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